Carrying case for food products

ABSTRACT

A container for carrying and keeping foods warm is described. The container has a case having at least one sidewall having an interior surface and an exterior surface, a top edge and a bottom edge. The side wall encloses a cavity formed by the sidewall and a base connected to the bottom edge of the side wall. The base has an inner surface and an outer surface. The case has a first removable tray having a top surface and a bottom surface, positioned within the cavity such that there is a space between said inner surface of said base and said bottom surface of said first tray so that a sufficient amount of a fluid may be added to the cavity to control the temperature of a food product in the case. The first removable tray has at least one recessed portion in said top surface for receiving said food product. The case also has a second removable tray positioned above said first removable tray and having one or more recessed portions for receiving a condiment to be applied to said food product.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to an improved carrying case fortransporting food products and in particular hot dogs and similar itemsas well as related condiments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] During the warmer weather and at other times during the year manypeople at picnics, sporting events, the beach and other activitiesdesire to bring along a meal. One of the more popular foods eaten atoutdoor and other activities is the hot dog or frankfurter. Relatedproducts such as sausages, corn dogs and bratwurst are also popular withmany people. Although these types of foods are frequently offered byvendors at these events, many times there are concerns about the safetyof the food products sold by the vendors or issues of cost that causemany people to bring their own foods to these activities.

[0003] A Thermos case and other insulated products are very useful incarrying and keeping warm many types of food. However, the typicalproduct that is currently available is used to carry many differenttypes of products. One of the problems with this type of arrangement isthat each item is stored together and there is a risk that flavors ofthe different food products can mingle together. Also, many insulatedcontainers, because they are designed to carry a number of products theytend to be large and bulky thus making it difficult to carry to theevent. In addition, when a number of different products are storedtogether it is difficult to keep each product at its optimumtemperature. For example, cooked food products will cool in thecontainer while cold products will warm usually until each reaches somelukewarm equilibrium temperature that is unsatisfactory to bothproducts. In the situation where frankfurters or related products aredesired, if they are precooked for convenience and placed in aninsulated container along with beverages or foods at a differenttemperature the hot dogs will not retain the warmth and may be too coldto eat at the proper time. As a result, there is a need for an improvedcarrying case for hot dogs and related products that will permit theseproducts to remain warm, as well as have ready access to the preferredcondiments that these products are usually served with.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0004] It is an object of the invention to provide an improved carryingcase for food products

[0005] It is an object of the invention to provide an improved carryingcase for such food products as hot dogs, frankfurters and relatedproducts such as sausages, corn dogs and bratwurst as well as corn onthe cod and other products that must be kept warm.

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide an improvedfood warmer for these products.

[0007] It is also an object of the present invention to provide acarrying case for the condiments that usually accompany these products.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a front view of the container of the present invention.

[0009]FIG. 2 is a top view of the container of FIG. 1 with the cover inplace.

[0010]FIG. 3 is an end view of the container of FIG. 1.

[0011]FIG. 4 is a view of the container of FIG. 1 taken along sectionE-E of FIG. 2.

[0012]FIG. 5 is a top view of the outer wall of the container of FIG. 1.

[0013]FIG. 6 is a top view of the insulating wall of the container ofFIG. 1.

[0014]FIG. 7 is a top view of the container of the present inventionwith the cover removed.

[0015]FIG. 8 is a side view of the container of the present inventiontaken along section A-A of FIG. 7.

[0016]FIG. 9 is a side end view of the condiment tray of the containerof the present invention.

[0017]FIG. 10 is a side front view of the condiment tray of FIG. 9.

[0018]FIG. 11 is a top view of the condiment tray of FIG. 9.

[0019]FIG. 12 is a side view of the condiment tray of FIG. 9 taken alongsection B-B of FIG. 11.

[0020]FIG. 13 is a side front view of the cover of the container of FIG.1.

[0021]FIG. 14 is a side end view of the cover of FIG. 13.

[0022]FIG. 15 is a top view of the cover of FIG. 13.

[0023]FIG. 16 is a side view of the cover of FIG. 13 taken along sectionC-C.

[0024]FIG. 17 is a side view of the handle of the container of thepresent invention.

[0025]FIG. 18 is an end view of the handle of FIG. 17

[0026]FIG. 19 is a top view of the handle of FIG. 17

[0027]FIG. 20 is a representative cross section of the handle of FIG.17.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 1-4 there is a case 10 that has a bottom 11 andpreferably three, four or more sides. FIG. 1 shows the case with foursides 12, 13, 14 and 15. The container is also provided with an openportion on its top. Although the case is depicted as a rectangle, itwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the case can bevirtually any shape, including square, rectangular, other polygons,circular and combinations of straight lines and curves. In addition,although the case has been shown with a flat bottom, the bottom need notalways be such. The case is preferably provided with a handle 16 forease of carrying.

[0029] The case is preferably made of a plastic material, a metal oreven wood or combinations thereof. If the case is made of plastic ormetal, it is preferred that the case be insulated. This may beaccomplished by providing the case with a double wall whereby the innerwall 17 and the outer wall 18 are separated by a volume of air thatprovides insulation to keep the enclosed products warm. The bottom andeach of the sides may be insulated in this manner if so desired. Inplace of air there may be a vacuum between the two walls or there may bean insulating material such as a Styrofoam material or similar products.In addition, the case may be made of Styrofoam or other similar product.If desired, the container may be made of an inexpensive material so thatit can be disposed of after each use. In another embodiment, the outerwall of the case may be made of a metal or plastic and the inner wallmay be a Styrofoam coating or layer that is in contact with the outerwall or separated therefrom by a slight distance to provide additionalinsulation.

[0030] The inside of the case has a first removable inner housing 19that may be supported by the upper edge 20 of the case 10. The innerhousing 19 is preferably positioned above the inner surface of thebottom of the case. The volume between the inner surface of the bottomof the case and the underside of the removable inner housing may befilled with a heated fluid such as water. If desired, the volume betweenthe inner surface of the bottom of the case and the underside of theinner housing may be sealed to provide insulation and the heated watermay be placed in with the food products to keep them moist and warm.Alternatively, the case 10 may have on at least two of its opposinginterior side walls a ledge or extension extending outwardly from thesidewall to support the removable inner housing 19. This ledge wouldalso provide a support for the removable inner housing. In anotherembodiment, the removable inner housing may be supported by one or moresupports either extending from the underside 21 of the removable innerhousing 19 or alternatively, extending upwardly from the inner basesurface 22 of the case 10. The removable inner housing is preferablyprovided with two recessed area 23 and 24. Both of these recessed areashave a depth D₁ that is a significant proportion of the overall depth ofthe case D₂. Preferably, the depth D₁ is at least one-half the length ofD₂. The greater the depth of the recessed areas the greater the surfacearea of the receptacles that is in contact with the heated water orother fluid so that the stored product is kept warm. However, it will beappreciated that the depth of both the recesses can vary. However, it ispreferred that there be some amount of the heated fluid below therecessed portions 23 and 24 to make sure that these items are keptevenly warm.

[0031] In another embodiment the first tray and the case are a unitarymember such that the tray and case are integral and not separable. Inthis embodiment, the heated fluid may be provided to the interior of thecase through a removable plug in the case.

[0032] The first recessed portion 23 is intended to be a receptacle forsauerkraut. This recess can have a cross section of virtually anyconfiguration desired. Preferably the recess is rectangular with alength and a width. However, the recess can have a round, oblong,elliptical or other cross section depending on one's desires. The secondrecess portion 24 has a length of about the length of the hot dog,frankfurter sausage, etc., that is to be placed in the case. The widthcan vary depending on the size of the case and the number of hot dogs,frankfurters, sausages, etc. to be stored therein.

[0033] Above the first removable housing 19 is a second removablehousing 30 or tray that is positioned above the first removable housing.The second tray is removably retained in the case and may rest on thefirst removable housing or on a ledge or other extension that may extendoutwardly from at least two opposing walls of the interior side wall ofthe case. Alternatively, the second removable housing may rest on theupper edge 20 of the case 10. In another alternative embodiment both thesecond tray does not rest on a ledge or extension but rather has legsthat extend from the underside of the tray 35 to the first removablehousing to support the second removable housing. The legs provide atleast two functions. First, the legs keep the second tray slightlyraised above the hot dogs etc., and the sauerkraut, thus keeping thematerials stored thereon away from the heat of the first removablehousing. The second function that a tray with legs serves is when thefoods are being served. A tray with legs can provide a convenientserving tray to pass around and place on the table.

[0034] The second tray is preferably provided with a plurality ofrecesses 31, 32, 33, 34 for carrying a number of items. In oneembodiment the second tray has at least four recesses for the storage ofcondiments. These recesses can be of any dimension desired. One recessedportion is preferably for ketchup, a second is preferably for mustard, athird is preferably for relish and the fourth is preferably for onions.It will be appreciated that there may be additional recesses forcarrying additional condiments such as salt and/or pepper as desired.For example, in lieu of one or more condiments or in addition theretothere may be recesses for napkins or other wipes to keep clean afteruse. Other items may include utensils such as tongs, forks, spoons orknives to facilitate removal of the food products contained in thecontainer of the present invention. In another embodiment of the presentinvention, there may be straps or other holding means present on one ormore surfaces of the outside of the container for carrying these otheritems.

[0035] As seen in FIG. 9, the second removable tray may be provided witha lip 37 to permit the tray to rest on the upper edge of the containeror the first removable tray. If desired, the second removable housingmay be provided with an opening to permit heated or cooled water toenter into the open area 36 of the tray to keep the food productscontainer thereon in a warm or cold condition.

[0036]FIG. 13 shows the cover for the container of the presentinvention. The cover has a top surface 40 and a bottom surface 41. Thecover also has a pair of opposing side walls 42 and 43 and a pair of endwalls 44 and 45. The end walls 44 and 45 may be provided with a pair ofpins 38 and 39. These pins are preferably adapted to be received by aslot 47 or opening in the handle 18 that would lock the cover in placeover the container as the container is being carried by the user. Thehandle 16 is provided with a pair of pins 49 and 50 that are in a faceto face relationship. The pins are adapted to be inserted into orificesthat are present in the end walls 51 and 52 of the container. It will beappreciated by those skilled in the art that the pins could also bepresent on the end walls 51 and 52 of the container and the orificespresent on the handle legs 53 and 54. The handle can have any crosssection that is comfortable for the user to carry. As shown in thefigures the underside of the handle 48 is generally flat to make iteasier to carry the case.

We claim:
 1. A container for carrying and keeping foods warm comprisinga case having at least one sidewall having an interior surface and anexterior surface, a top edge and a bottom edge, said side wall enclosinga cavity, a base connected to the bottom edge of said side wall, saidbase having an inner surface and an outer surface, and said case havingan open end at said top edge of the side wall, said case having a firstremovable tray having a top surface and a bottom surface, positionedwithin said cavity such that there is a space between said inner surfaceof said base and said bottom surface of said first tray so that asufficient amount of a fluid may be added to the cavity to control thetemperature of a food product in the case, said first removable trayhaving at least one recessed portion in said top surface for receivingsaid food product, said case further comprising a second removable traypositioned above said first removable tray and having one or morerecessed portions for receiving a condiment to be applied to said foodproduct.
 2. The container according to claim 1 wherein the case has acover over the opened end of said cavity.
 3. The container according toclaim 1 wherein said case has a handle for carrying said case.
 4. Thecontainer according to claim 3 wherein the case has a cover over theopened end of said cavity and said cover interacts with said handle tolock said cover in position on said case.
 5. The container according toclaim 1 wherein sad food product is selected from the group consistingof hot dogs, sausages, bratwurst and corn dogs.
 6. The containeraccording to claim 1 having a second recessed portion in said first trayfor receiving sauerkraut.
 7. The container according to claim 1 whereinsaid second tray has at least three recessed portions for receivingmustard, ketchup and relish.
 8. The container according to claim 1wherein the case is insulated.
 9. The container according to claim 1wherein said first removable tray is positioned on the top edge of theside wall.
 10. A container for carrying and keeping foods warmcomprising a case having at least one sidewall having an interiorsurface and an exterior surface, a top edge and a bottom edge, said sidewall enclosing a cavity, a base connected to the bottom edge of saidside wall, said base having an inner surface and an outer surface, andsaid case having at said top edge of the side wall and integraltherewith a first tray having a top surface and a bottom surface,positioned within said cavity such that there is a space between saidinner surface of said base and said bottom surface of said first tray sothat a sufficient amount of a fluid may be added to the cavity tocontrol the temperature of a food product in the case, said firstremovable tray having at least one recessed portion in said top surfaceof said tray for receiving said food product, said case furthercomprising a second removable tray positioned above said first removabletray and having one or more recessed portions therein for receiving acondiment to be applied to said food product.
 11. The containeraccording to claim 10 wherein the case has a cover over the tray. 12.The container according to claim 1 wherein said case has a handle forcarrying said case.
 13. The container according to claim 12 wherein thecase has a cover over the opened end of said cavity and said coverinteracts with said handle to lock said cover in position on said case.14. The container according to claim 10 wherein sad food product isselected from the group consisting of hot dogs, sausages, bratwurst andcorn dogs.
 15. The container according to claim 10 having a secondrecessed portion in said first tray for receiving sauerkraut.
 16. Thecontainer according to claim 10 wherein said second tray has at leastthree recessed portions for receiving mustard, ketchup and relish. 17.The container according to claim 10 wherein the case is insulated. 18.The container according to claim 10 wherein said second removable trayis positioned on the top edge of said side wall.